This invention relates generally to a shock and vibration isolation system, and specifically to a system for attenuating shocks and vibrations acting along the vertical, horizontal and longitudinal axes of a mass.
Many of today""s devices, such as computers and other sensitive pieces of equipment utilize shock and vibration sensitive components, the function of which can be disturbed by relatively high shock and vibration forces. Shock and vibration forces such as those created by a seismic occurrence and other similar type events are random in nature and can act upon a mass along multiple axes. Most shock and vibration absorbers can only attenuate forces acting along one axis. As a result, systems for isolating a mass from shock and vibratory forces acting along the three principle axes of the mass are typically complex, space consuming, and expensive to install and maintain.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to improve shock and vibration isolation systems.
It is a further object of the present invention to protect shock and vibration sensitive equipment from randomly acting shock and vibratory forces.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved shock and vibration isolation system that can attenuate shock and vibratory forces acting along the three primary axes of a mass.
Another object of the present invention is to reduce the number of parts required in a shock and vibration isolation system that is adapted to attenuate random shock and vibratory force.
Yet another object of the present invention is to increase the operational life of a shock and vibration isolation system.
These and other objects of the present invention are attained by a multi-axis shock and vibration isolation system that includes a stationary frame that has intersecting vertical, horizontal, and longitudinal axes. A shock and vibration sensitive mass is suspended within the frame by a series of double acting shock absorbers that are arranged to attenuate shock and vibration moving along the vertical axis. Wire rope isolators are mounted between sidewalls of the mass and adjacent sidewalls of the frame so that they act in unison to attenuate shock and vibrations acting along the horizontal and longitudinal axes of the system.